Although it has slightly bigger ambitions, Nashville is still primarily an ABC primetime soap. Honestly, I think I've struggled with that at times this season. Not because soaps are inherently bad (in fact, they can be very awesome), but because the show has often fumbled through development by yanking characters from one emotional extreme to another, with very little time spent in any middle (perhaps sometimes complex) space. Last week, I predicted a hotly dramatic finale, and "I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive" certainly delivered on that idea in full-force. This episode featured a character falling off the wagon, two physical altercations, a funeral, a proposal, a car accident, a letter from beyond the grave, a paternity reveal, and pregnancy announcement. It was not a quiet finale, nor were there any characters left with nothing to do... and many of those things fell somewhere between powerful and compelling and ridiculous and overheated.

Thankfully, no matter the quality of the story, the show has great performers to pull it through—and above all else, this episode was a fine showcase for most of the leads. There's a case to be made that Juliette remains a completely self-involved brat who neglected her mother's problems to such a degree that he mother ended up dead, but the finale found the right beats to hit with the character. Outside of one purely spiteful spell of outrage backstage at the CMAs (one that she admittedly regretted and that really changed her perspective on coming to terms with her mother's death), Juliette's grieving didn't reach the sort of hyperbolic and manic levels I expected it to, and that's a big testament to Hayden Panettiere's performance. I was never a big fan of her on Heroes, but as this season progressed, it became clear to me that she, like most everyone else on that show, was a victim of miserable writing and characterization (and she still wasn't that bad!). Despite Juliette's problematic character, Panettiere has delivered the strongest work of her career over the last string of episodes and although I have trouble believing she has an actual chance, this finale would be a fine Emmy submission.

Again, what worked here was that Juliette's grief never manifested into even poorer decision-making for the character. Instead, she went from numb and closed-off at the beginning of the episode, when she ignored Deacon's assistance, to being much more open and aware of the complicated feelings washing over her. She still acted like a spoiled egomaniac at times, but I got the sense that the relief she felt over her mother's death really opened her eyes to how she viewed that relationship. Juliette never felt good enough and blamed herself for her mother's failures, yet only continued to make things worse by stubbornly (and ignorantly) refusing to admit those feelings to mother so that their relationship could truly improve. Jolene was not the best mother, and that was not all Juliette's fault. But Juliette also was not the best daughter, and not simply because Jolene pushed her away. Panettiere did a great job of bringing Juliette through those emotions as the episode progressed: In the funeral home, Juliette was broken, but ready to speak to the truths of the bond with her mother; at the cemetery, she acknowledged mistakes on both their parts to Rayna; and at the Bluebird, she honored her mother's wishes with a powerful performance. Now to be fair, the show helped the situation along by having Jolene send a letter explaining her actions, but I'm not sure that would have totally mattered. What mattered was that Juliette let her emotions in and that she can now, theoretically, try to figure them out as she moves forward.

Weirdly, what seemed to be the most dramatic story going into the episode (Jolene and Dante's deaths), did not end up playing that role in the hour. Instead, the honor belongs to the looming question of Maddie's paternity. Callie Khouri's script smartly pushed the story forward at the top of the episode, which allowed Deacon to fume around like a ticking time bomb before receiving confirmation from Rayna and then taking one big plunge into the bottom of a whiskey bottle. As I said last week, I find it really dumb that Rayna kept vital information on the identity of Maddie's father in such an obvious place, but like so many of this season's stories, once the sloppy inciting incident is out of the way, the characters and the actors carry the material the rest of the way. Much like with Juliette's emotional turmoil, Deacon's tumble off the wagon unspooled in a progressive fashion that really served the episode well. The conversation between Deacon and Rayna backstage at the CMAs avoided any extended bits of dialogue between the two. Instead, they were hurriedly talking over one another, with Rayna struggling to justify her actions and Deacon muttering along the way. That scene worked as a reflection of the characters' history and rapport, particularly because they clearly have trouble talking to one another about difficult matters.

Furthermore, the quieter (yet still very intense) scene between Rayna and Deacon nicely contrasted with most everything that happened with Deacon afterward. Once he started drinking, the show did not shy away from his reckless, even scary, behavior. The sequence with Coleman, Gunnar, and Scarlett trying to subdue a drunk and shifty Deacon felt properly hectic and dangerous, but as the follow-up scene with Deacon in the bathroom proved, Charles Esten is much better playing Deacon in the smaller, introspective moments. Unfortunately, the desire for a big cliffhanger got the best of the episode by the time the story came to a conclusion; as soon as Deacon and Rayna got into the truck together, it was pretty clear that a terrible car accident was coming. I hate that as a temporary resolution for this arc because Rayna and Deacon really need to have a conversation and I'm fearful that an accident like this is only going to pull them apart once whichever one of them is a coma wakes up. Still, a lame conclusion does not take away from what was a mostly successful emotional story. We know that Rayna and Deacon's issues are far from over, just as we knew that Deacon was eventually going to start drinking again. I can deal with an extreme button on a solid story because I'm happy that Nashville played these cards in the first season. There was no reason to wait longer on Maddie's paternity, and Deacon's sobriety was probably always attached to that reveal.

While the two big stories worked very well here, I'm not so sure about the half-dozen other threads Khouri tried to jam in because it was the finale (in what could have been a series finale, really). This one goes so far out of its way to give us something about every character that I almost expected Hailey, Avery's band and Wyclef Jean to show up in the final montage. It was not entirely bothersome to get a quick moment where Tandy quits the company because Lamar is re-energized and ready to move forward with that god forsaken stadium, but really who cares? That goes double for the returned focus on Nashville's greatest storyline, The Damn Cumberland Deal. Teddy is probably going to jail, but not before he learned that Peggy is pregnant. I assume that the two of them will name the unborn child Cumberland because that is the only thing the two like talking about. Eric Close is not bad at his job. In fact, he is actually kind of great when the show lets Teddy be a human being, like when he calmed Rayna down after Maddie stormed out in this episode. But the show prefers him to be Mr. Cumberland Deal, so whatever.

These threads were lame on their own, but I think they hurt the episode more because Gunnar and Scarlett's story felt severely underdeveloped. The two of them have been on quite the journey this season and yet here, all they got was one real scene together and then a couple of moments with Gunnar seething over Scarlett's re-discovered relationship with Avery. And yet, the result of that was... a proposal? We didn't see Scarlett say yes, but I'm hoping she says no. It was a last-ditch effort from Gunnar, who—though he ditched the leather jacket and pushed his hair back upward—is still pretty lost as an individual. But above all else, that proposal felt like it was tacked on just in case the show go canceled. I'll be very, very interested to see how the show writes around it in Season 2, or if Khouri and Dee Johnson will simply run away from it immediately.

Still, after some true creative problems and low spots, it does feel like Nashville found itself a little bit more at the tail-end of this first season. The finale did a fine job of pushing the right stories forward while still producing some admittedly goofy cliffhangers. I'm not quite sure Nashville has yet lived up to the quality and promise of that great pilot, but it weathered the storm well enough. While I hope that it manages to dial back some of the histrionics in next season, all of the primary characters made it to a place where the show's character-based soapiness could be more assured come the fall.

B-SIDES

– Preeeeeety silly that both Juliette and Rayna high-tailed it out of the CMA Awards. Cool that Juliette won, but I'm certain that their disappearances would be hot topics on the country music gossip blogs. Those exist, right?

– Also CMA-related: Rayna's outfit on-stage was not good. I love Connie Britton, but that top was just too tight in the wrong places.

– The amount of music per episode declined quite a bit in the second half of the season. I'm wondering if that's simply a byproduct of the stories being told, or if some of the reported-on production issues extend to the music. It's not easy to crank out those originals, huh?

– If I did Nashville power rankings, Avery would be near the top. What a meteoric rise for that guy.

– Will's presence in the concluding montage leads me to believe that the show views him as an important character in Nashville's world. Here's to hoping that Chris Carmack is a regular next year.

– Thanks for reading and commenting on these reviews, folks. Glad to do them over the last stretch of episodes.

They pretty much used every possible plotline in this season. Charlotte with Gunnar (the proposal was not that surprising but it was kinda desperate from Gunnar), Rayna with Deacon who then of course started drinking, Juliette's problems with her mom "solved" (though death is pretty final) after her growing up so much during the season and Avery screwing people over and then he also grew up, and of course Teddy with the whole politics and Lamar and yeah... Who really cares about Teddy/Peggy/Lamar/Tandy and/or Avery? I almost forgot Maddy finding about who her real father is. That one you could see coming.

My only fear is that since everything already happened the show is going to start repeating itself. Hopefully the writers get some new ideas.

Absolutely loved this show. I didn't know it had so much music in it but I'm glad it does. I'm definitely not a country fan, but now I have the shows music on my playlist.

My favorite in the show is definitely Charlotte. She's such a sweet innocent girl who could never harm anybody. She has her feet on the ground, a head on her shoulders and the biggest heart ever. I can't believe how much bad keeps happening to her. Apparently it's the whole "you can't have everything in life" -thing.

My only problem is how Rayna treats Juliette. I know you're supposed to treat others the way they treat you. But seriously? She's supposed to be the adult and at first she seemed like it. Then she started acting just as immature as Juliette. It was just awful to watch. Thankfully that changed towards the end. Or perhaps it was just the circumstances when Juliette's mom died.

I hope there's more scenes with Rayna's kids singing the next season. They were just awesome!

I disagree totally with this article! As the daughter of an alcoholic.... who chose the bottle over me until her dying breathe..... I think this show has been a powerful and amazing showcase for those of us (children of addiction) and I am convinced one of the writers has got to be a child of addiction. You do not write this kind of reality, you have to have lived it! Obviously you have not lived it! I have had two episodes: the one where Jolene apologized to Juliette for her "9th birthday" after falling off the wagon at Deacon's surprise party and again when Juliette screamed "I should be celebrating it is finally over!" on the last episode in which my husband had to stop the DVR for nearly 10 minutes because I was crying so very hard and having such an emotional reaction. Again, a person cannot 'just write' this stuff. One must of lived it to understand. My mother alienated every single person in her life and quit drinking..... the day she died. I applaud "Nashville" because for all the shows who raise awareness for every other 'cause' under the sun, children of addiction and the scars that stay with us..... we are forgotten and brushed under the rug. TV is a baron wasteland. There are times that with all the channels I have to choose from, I end up just turning it off. And I do not watch the thing much. No, "Nashville" is a 'keeper' on so many levels. A soap? Of coarse it is! It is for the people that cannot think beyond reality shows, 'wipe out' type shows and soap like shows.... but if you wash the suds away, there is extremely good writing, amazing acting (Ms. Panettiere you served us.... children of addiction well and you did your research very well!) and some really good music! I am thankful for a show that is worth watching! And for you that wrote the article, I am glad you are *not* the child of addiction, for you are truly blessed!

For me, Juliette's story and character is the most compelling. She clearly has two sides to her and both make a lot of sense given her background. There's the fiercely independent and distrustful businesswoman who will take down anyone in her path and the vulnerable & overly familiar troubled young starlet with questionable fame worthiness. Nashville has played it smart in allowing her to explore both of these without wandering too far into either for too long. All of it was never on display as much as it was in the finale. We got her diva behavior, her wrath, her coldness, her sweetness, and her heartbreak. A+ on that front.

And yes, Hayden can act. I imagine it's not easy playing a Taylor Swift stand-in that's actually a steely pit of rage with a seductive side. Seriously - that's got to be hard to nail.

You can always change channels if you don't like it! It serves as a great showcase for children of addiction! I don't understand people who watch shows and then complain about them! There are 100's of channels.... the option to change exisits, change it! :) Have a good day!

Chris I will add that scene, as the child of addiction, my husband had to pause the DVR for 10 minutes so I could compose myself. I am convinced more than ever one of the writers is a child of addition. It is refreshing to see someone else's eyes could see this!

Going into it I was still feeling a little burned by the weaker episode of the past few weeks. But the finale had some great, powerful scenes that worked so well (and actually made me cry multiple times, 'cause hey, I'm not a robot) that I didn't mind the weaker, business-y Cumberland parts that much (the pregnancy announcement, however, made me eye-roll like I was Liz Lemon). My thoughts are still a little scattered, but overall, I feel reassured that a second season will be worth watching, since I must admit to having had some doubts prior. And that's what a finale should do - make the viewer want to tune in after the summer break. On a completely random note - Juliette's returned manager looks exactly like Rayna's manager, only with a bad wig and a goatee. They're so similar, I had trouble telling them apart the first couple of episodes. Maybe the same actor is getting paid extra to play both parts?

I thought Joliette's letter to Juliette was great, especially after Juliette telling Rayna about how she didn't get what she wanted as a child. Well the letter gave her what she always wanted, but she lost her mother in the process, when her mother FINALLY showed her love for her daughter, albeit doing it through murder!

Re: Final Episode Season 2: Brilliant work with Juliette’s story line and beautiful acting on behalf of Hayden. I’ve enjoyed watching the first 2 seasons of Nashville, thrilled in the musical choices by T-bone and the staff and the incredible execution of those choices. The storylines of Teddy, Scarlett & Gunner, and Maddie, felt strong and true. As for Deacon, going from mature decisions to support Rayna during her father’s heart attack and to not need to know what Rayna’s secret may be, to a complete loss of control seems a betrayal to his character and to other’s struggling with addiction. In Nashville, it seems none of the characters dealing with the disease…the lead band member of the Rebel Kings, Juliette’s mother or Deacon can show true strength in handling adversity under fire. With Deacon, it felt like not only a betrayal to the character, but also the audience. Wish you’d found another path to creating conflict and tension without the over-dramatization and complete loss of control (car accident), both from character and plot. I understand the need for ratings and cliff-hangers, but having said that, from a fan, it was didn’t feel intelligent or respectful. At the end, I was questioning whether Season 3 would be one I’d care to follow. Just sayin.

It was a great finale....I hope there ok after the car accident...OMG that was a ending but now we have to wait to see if there both ok....I Can see why Deacon lost it a bit because of finding out he was a dad and not been told for all those years you can understand why he had a drink and was so angry....Poor Juliet losing her mum but it might make he not be so bitchy and have some emotion back....and the music in this show is amazing and i'm glad it's coming back for another season not like Smash!!!!!

Same here, I wonder about that accident. Interesting to see what's going to happen after they recover. Know that the Maddie storyline is not going to end - it may take on a life itself. Hope Rayna and Deacon (who said it previous episode that the past is the past and only the present matters) will get beyond this and not split up again.

What a disappointment the season finale was!! Super depressing! I really enjoyed the entire season of Nashville as it always had a little bit of stability of Deacon. The finale was so OVER THE TOP that it ruined everything that they've built the entire season. When Peggy said she was pregnant, I almost turned off the TV. That moment was SO mid-day soap opera TV. Ugh! Bummed that they ruined it...

In a million years, I would never watch a soap opera. Nashville is my must-see show of the year, and it bears no resemblance to a soap. It's too psychologically savvy.

In my opinion it's a show about strong women , how they got that way, and what they have to do to stay on top. The men seem interchangeable, except for the wonderful Powers Boothe who plays Rayna's dad. The character of Juliette is well-conceived by writers who understand what happens to girls whose mothers are alcoholics. They're either needy yes-women for life (co-dependents) or "I don't need you" bitches with little sympathy for others (counter-dependents). Juliette has never had anyone on her side and she created herself almost from thin air. Hayden Panettiere does an outstanding job with this difficult character. IMO, the best new actress on TV.

As for her mother, the heartless drunk was the one responsible for having the embarrassing tape made in the first place. That she had one moment of concern for her daughter was a surprise. Destroying the tape and killing herself was the alcoholic version of "the decent thing to do." Good riddance. (I can sense focus groups behind the decision to kill off this unpleasant character.) This makes room next season for more interplay between Juliette and Rayna, which will hopefully run the gamut between admiration and evil scheming. Their rivalry is the centerpiece of the show.

As for Scarlet, she's very pretty in a baby-faced way, but neither her personality nor her voice ads up to a major character.

Altogether, I give Nashville an A with plenty of room to grow into an A+ show.

Don't know why but really kind of loving the slow friendship of Juliette & Avery. I have no idea if he's playing her or not, he seems quite sincere and now I can see why the other girl (can't remember he name, Deacon's niece) fell for him. Both he and Juliette are flawed and fumbling through it all, wouldn't mind seeing them fumble through it all together.

I am not sure if the cast can sing. Do they? Also, are the songs from the first part of the season originals because I know for a fact two of the season finale are not. Anyway i LOVED the finale BUT I do wish they didn't kill Jolene.

i think we should all agree that nashville is an awesome soap opera... if we see it that way, we can let go of all of its flaws and live happily with it...at least that's what i've realized like maybe 5 epis ago...cuz there are some stuff like the mentioned dna results being in such an obvious place... if it was me, they'd be in the trash actually, so let's not think about why rayna not only kept it for 13 yrs but also kept it in an obvious place... let's just accept that maddie found out...

anyway i thought it was an awesome season finale even tho a bit over dramatic at some points...

The Finale was one of the best so far!! actually the music increased in the second half, Juliette character reminded of Kelly Severide in CF a roller-coaster of emotions good and bad, not sure if Juliette mature as much as Kelly but none the less she did Hayden was awesome, Avery was truly an asshole but quickly turn himself around, by far then most character growth, Will awesome I also agree I hope Chris Carmack is a regular next season as Rayna, Deacon, Peggy, Teddy lots of unfinished business , questions, and hopefully we get answers next season as for Gunnar just two words GROW UP now as for Scarlett I just love her, especially the last two episodes taking charge, now the bigger question is LENNON AND MAISY sisters what is the writers going to do with them, these two are amazing, I actually see Lennon moving to ABCF with an existing show/ or new that way she can guest star on Nashville and the same with Maisy, overall fantastic season 1 for NASHVILLE, most likely neck and neck for the best new show of the 2012-13 tv season with ELEMENTARY as for power rankings I would put SCARLETT number one can not wait for season 2

Show made full circle in some cases. At start of season, Avery was a dick more or less,thinking he is the man,was jealous of Scarlett,ignoring her talent,now he is more humble and sees she really is great. MayI have mixed feeling about Juliette,but that performance from Hayden in that dressing room was awsome. Glad Glenn back. And Deacon also had great scenes. Those 2 had most memorable scenes in this episode.Show is awsome...does it have some "been there,done that" scenes/stories,etc....yes,but I still love this show. Thank you Cory for doing reviews for this last episodes. They were.....

i would like to know whatever happened to the limo speech where Deacon says he doesnt care if Rayna is keeping something from him and no matter what all that matters is that he loves her. I have a problem with the timelines. Someone needs to review the scripts better. In the real world the CMA's wouldnt announce the nominees just days before the actual awards show. That among other instances like Rayna doesnt have the girls so she can go away with Liam but the next day she tells Deacon that she has the girls and can't go away.

She didn't have girls for weekend or something. Like 2 or 3 days max. And I think day passed at least,when she was with Deacon. Yeah she ditched Liam,but then she slept at Deacon and so on. CMA award wasn't just days before...Juliette had plan to get awards,so it did have more than some days.While Deacon says,he doesn't care about anything...I think,keeping he has child of his own,with woman he loves,wasn't something he had in mind and is pretty big deal to just ignore. He acted like normal person would.

Couldn't catch it live, but I heard buzz that Haden's acting was top shelf. After I watched it online I gotta admit, she killed it. The scene with her at the wake and her and Connie Britton were the best of the season. Why not an Emmy nom? She deserves the consideration and the show definitely needs the attention.

She was nominated for a Golden Globe in January for this role (as was Connie Britton for hers), so who knows, maybe she will be nominated for an Emmy in September. But there is the usual bunch of actresses hogging many of the nominations; Claire Danes, someone from Downton Abbey, someone from Mad Men, etc., so it's tough to get a nod.

The picture you posted of Juliette and Rayna talking was what I think would really happen between these two complex and talented stars. They're both great and really should admire each other rather than all the pettiness. Jolene's suicide and all Rayna's problems should grow them both up some. I know, I know it's not soapy enough...

I don't knew if I should say this, someone might bite my head off for it, but I think Hayden Panettiere's acting stood out, and has done so in the last few episodes. She has clearly developed as an actress.

I loved this finale, I didn't even care about weaker points (and I think I don't find as many faults with this show as you do). It pretty much confirmed Nashville as my favorite new show of the season. I do hope Rayna and Deacon find an out-of-coma way to be together. And I love Scarlett (and her voice), but somehow I don't feel chemistry between her and the guys in her life: maybe there could be someone new for her next season?

I enjoyed it. However, the terrible accident as a cliffhanger... don't know about that. I hope that Rayna and Deacon will not be pulled apart just as they were going through a due reconciliation. I also think that there could have been more dialogue between them, maybe resolving their issues. I am rooting for Rayna and Deacon to get back together, so sexy and lots of chemistry. I liked that Juliette showed more humanism. I certainly cannot disagree more with that this drama, deemed by some as "soap opera", is not powerful enough. Think the show is compelling. Like many others, I am hooked. Cannot wait for the next season to start, glad that NBC has renewed it for the second season and hopefully, more seasons to come. More Rayna and Deacon together please!

Pretty much agree with your analysis. The main stories were told well for the most part but so many of the cliffhangers felt tacked on. I still don't by the importance they're putting on this Scarlett/Gunnar rift. She was mad at him for becoming more like his brother so he comes clean about those dreaded song lyrics, showers and vows to change and she's still mad? What does she want from him? It's not like what he did was THAT bad or unforgivable. Also, that Rayna James CMA outfit was NOT good. We all know Connie Britton is a bombshell but even she needs to dress her age. That outfit probably wouldn't have looked good on a 20 year-old either.

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